Nicotinamide Riboside Improves Hematopoiesis and Immune Cell Populations in Mice

Mitochondria are the power plants of the cell. They produce the chemical energy store molecule ATP that is used to power cellular operations. Unfortunately, mitochondrial function falters throughout the body with advancing age, and while this is harmful in all tissues, the effects are particularly problematic in energy-hungry tissues such as the muscle and brain. Research of recent years has implicated the loss of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) in mitochondria in this process. Evidence suggests that loss of effectiveness in mitophagy, the process that recycles worn and damaged mitochondria, is the important issue connected to NAD+ deficiency. NAD+ is largely produced by recycling its products, rather than by synthesis, but both the recycling and synthesis pathways suffer a loss of effectiveness with advancing age. Various approaches to boost levels of NAD+ have been assessed in animals and are readily available for application to humans. Delivering NAD+ directly is inefficient in comparison to providing precursors and metabolites used in the synthesis and recycling pathways. Nicotinamide riboside supplementation is at present the only approach to upregulation of NAD+ in mitochondria with human trial data. The results from a small trial show a modest reduction in blood pressure in older hypertensive individuals, comparable with what can be achieved through lifestyle choices, due to improved smooth muscle function in blood vessels. One would expect there to be ...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs